When you buy games: Complete Box /w Manual, or just Cartridge only?

[xelement5x]

Tasuke, I see the Ar Tonelico and Xenosaga love at the top of that picture, and I know for sure you're a good person


I try to get CIB as much as possible, but I've tended to accrue a lot of loose carts when I buy lots from eBay or random Craigslist excursions. But the thing I can't stand is the missing hangtab. It's a love hate relationship because I know it completes the game, but it also takes up extra room when I'm trying to store them!

[green.eyes]

For MD & G games I only get CIB

[GameX]

Cartridges: game only, usually. If I can get a cheap copy with the manual, why not. Theses boxes are just too big, I don't have any space to store them.

CDs: CIB, always. I however did an exception with Virtua Cop 2 for Saturn, got a loose (Stored in a unused jewel case, of course) one for 5$, because all of the boxed Saturn games of the seller were like 20-30$ or so.

[Sega Genesis]

cart only for me. boxes too big once you have too many

[Bramsworth]

CIB or bust, especially since I'm mostly content with emulation, so for collection purposes if I can't have it CIB, there's no major loss if it's a dumped game.

[Tasuke]

Tasuke, I see the Ar Tonelico and Xenosaga love at the top of that picture, and I know for sure you're a good person

thank you most kindly.

that's a somewhat oldish pic, though. here's a current one, with the addition of Ar Tonelico III and Atelier Rorona,
both PS3 games that i simply could not resist, despite the fact that have yet to buy even a single PS3 console;

[Baloo]

Haha, I think tz101 started a topic on almost this exact same subject on AtariAge as well! So I'll just take most of my post from there:

Personally, I like boxes and manuals with my games. They make take up more space but some carts are rather oddly shaped, especially N64 carts which you can't really efficiently in any way to find the game easily. Same goes for 32x, Jaguar, etc. Boxes allow me to pick out whatever game I want to more easily, and I'm a bit of a completionist as well, I like to have everything of a game if I can for value purposes. This doesn't stop me from buying loose carts sure, but I won't be throwing out my game boxes anytime soon.

[salsays]

CIB or sometimes just case and cart. I find it easier to pick up manuals as I always have friends who clean out their basements or attics and when that comes if they have the manual or a CIB of the same game I'll take it.

[flip]

Would have been interesting to have a poll on this. There are more "loose carts"-answers than I would have predicted. Personally I'm of the CIB-only variety, never bought a loose cart in my life apart from those that came in a bundle with other complete games I was looking for. The fact that it's comparatively easy to find complete games on the Mega Drive and my preference for Japanese versions (where you're more likely to find games in good condition) help here. I love to take the box from the shelve, to have a quick look at the manual or to find some note with a cheat I jotted down ages ago. Though I do have to say a loose cartridge still holds more of a value-feeling than a loose CD, which really feels like garbage.

[pollmonster]

I always try to get them complete but will settle for cart only if they are the good/rare titles.